Sheet of Studies (c. 1939-42), Jackson Pollock

Upon entering the MoMA’s Abstract Expressionist New York I immediately felt at home. As cliché as it may sound, MoMA’s most recent exhibition, which takes up the entirety of the fourth floor painting and sculpture galleries, is full of old friends. The show combines hundreds of paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the permanent collection, in an exhaustive effort to showcase New York postwar painting. Many of the paintings in the exhibition are gems usually on permanent display. Re-configured into a new narrative structure, the exhibition has shined new light on old favorites. Barnett Newman’s The Wild, Jackson Pollock’s Echo: Number 25, 1951 and Franz Kline’s Chief are among the most iconic of these examples. Continue Reading More »

Portrait: (Self) #1 as Control + 11 Alterations by Retouching and Airbrushing, 1974 (© John Baldessari)

When I walked into Pure Beauty, the new retrospective exhibition of John Baldassari’s work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I was skeptical to say the least. As an international art star, Baldassari’s most famous images are ubiquitous. His colored dot paintings have graced the pages of innumerable auction catalogues, art magazines and exhibition advertisements. Quite simply, I had become numb to them. Furthermore, I appreciate the effort that the Met has been making of late to exhibit contemporary art, but have not been remotely impressed by their offerings. Past exhibitions like “The Pictures Generation” have been impressive in scope, but seemed dull and over historical.

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Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation

I first stumbled upon the paintings of Mark Warren Jacques at Cinders Gallery in Brooklyn. His small, radiant paintings hit me in the face. Mark’s paintings are characteristic of his personality: heady and amorous, and tempered with a languid playfulness. His brightly hued canvases combine a humble, DIY sensibility with otherworldly yearnings and an almost sublime aesthetic. His newest exhibit, I’m Here Now at Gallery Hijinks in San Francisco is open until November 15th. Last week I had the opportunity to talk to the artist about the show, his art, and future plans. Continue Reading More »

This weekend New York Times writer Jasper Rees broke the street art story of the year. The story, which has prompted a wildfire rash of blog postings, revolves around “The Underbelly Project.” Street artists Workhorse and PAC curated a selection of some 150 international street artists, inviting each to paint a mural in one night on the walls of an unidentified, unfinished abandoned subway station four stories underground. The exhibition was opened to a select group of journalists and bloggers for one night, and then closed forever, when the gorilla curators destroyed the entrance. The list of artists is incredible: Dan Witz, Faile, Swoon, Anthony Lister and Jeff Soto to name just a few. More details on Vandalog. Continue Reading More »

Jenna Duffy for Artcards Review

The New Museum’s latest exhibition “The Last Newspaper” is without a doubt the most impressive thing I have seen at the Museum since it opened its doors on the Bowery.   Continue Reading More »

There is a somewhat desolate feeling to the block of 29^th Street that Fred Torres Collaborations calls home. Stepping off the dusty street, full of as many auto body shops as galleries, I felt both expectant and uneasy. This feeling only increased when I stepped into “Tall Tales” an exhibition of new drawings by Kristofer Porter and Christopher Davison. It is clear from the outset that both artists are incredible draftsmen. There is a shared sensibility, which looms thick and dark in the white walled gallery. Porter’s nightmarish cartoons are as expressive as they are surreal. Lost souls jostle and cling to one another fixed somewhere between terror and delight. Davison’s work is a study in psychic tension, where mythic archetypes rain supreme. The mystical thrust of his diminutive drawings and collages is staggering. Continue Reading More »

I’m not usually a big proponent of feminist art. Before I disenfranchise half of our readers, let me explain. It’s not that I don’t appreciate its message or think it’s unnecessary, I do. With champions of any cause (be it political, religious or whatever) some are bound to be hard line militants and thus annoy me. For all of these reasons, I think Piplotti Rist’s new show Heroes of Birth at Luhring Augustine Gallery is a must see.

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